A tree-planting partnership with its roots in Bath and backed by businesses in the city has acquired its inaugural site, where it will plant around 10,000 trees and create a new wildlife habitat.
Co-forest was initially conceived by Bath-based digital technology agency Storm Consultancy, which has since partnered with environmental experts, including EcoWild, the Woodland Trust and others, to help it achieve its mission of creating sustainable woodlands across the UK.
It has since been supported by businesses in Bath and Bristol, which have combined forces to raise more than £200,000.
The funds have been used to buy its first site, near Almondsbury, Bristol, where it will plant and protect trees and to manage the forest as it develops.
Called Acorn, the site – initially 10 acres with the possibility of increasing this in the future – will eventually have approximately 10,000 broadleaf native woodland species and managed to sequester carbon and create a new habitat for local wildlife.
Planting will begin this autumn and continue over the winter months to give the trees the greatest chance of survival.
Co-founder Katrina Kelly said: “We’re thrilled to have secured this site for our first Bristol Co-forest.
“It gives us a lot of future opportunities – the companies and individuals that have contributed to this purchase will support its development into a forest, but we’re now asking other local organisations and people to get involved – if sufficient support comes forward we can look to purchase additional adjoining land so we could make this new forest a lot bigger with their help!
“This is a great way for local organisations to contribute to carbon capture and biodiversity conservation, and those who want to can also get involved in planting days with their teams and build Co-forest into their staff wellbeing programmes.”
Among the Bath firms supporting Co-forest is specialist software house Mayden. Its founder and managing director Chris May said: “Getting involved was a no-brainer for Mayden. We aim to operate a zero-carbon business and have already taken a number of measures to reduce our footprint.
“We are now starting to think about our staff returning to the office, but for many that involves commuting. While many of our staff use bikes, public transport or walk to work, taking the step of offsetting the car journeys by planting trees with Co-forest is the very last step on our journey to zero-carbon.”
Co-forest selected the Almondsbury site partly because it offers the opportunity for expansion in the future if more organisations want to join the project.
But it is also on land that has undergone ecological surveys to ensure planting trees will have no detrimental effects to existing plant or animal species, and because it will connect some existing small woodlands and create new nature corridors.
Katrina added: “This initial forest here in the area is the first of what we hope will be many Co-forests around the UK, perhaps even the world. The idea is that in other locations, groups could come together and use our brand, website and knowledge about tree planting to run their own projects.
“This first Co-forest is the coming together of like-minded people and organisations around Bath and Bristol to preserve land and plant new woodland or forestry.
“We are taking our time with this inaugural forest, exploring many ideas and opportunities and working closely with partners in the hope that it will help us create a blueprint for future Co-foresting groups elsewhere.”
More than 1.5m hectares of new woodland is needed in Britain to help reach the government’s net-zero carbon target by 2050 – an area around the size as Yorkshire.
Trees are regarded as nature’s solution to climate change – they cool the planet by absorbing harmful greenhouse gases and releasing clean oxygen back into the atmosphere. It is possible for trees to reduce a city’s temperature by up to eight degrees Celsius.
Storm founder David Kelly said: “We wanted to mark our 10th anniversary in a way that created a legacy, gave something back to our community and looked forward to a healthy future instead of back at our history.
“Tree planting was suggested and our team was keen. Soon our clients were told and many of them also wanted to get involved, and it became clear that employees around the region were encouraging their companies to join the project.
“We’re thrilled that this land purchase in Almondsbury will allow the creation of a brand new forest and would urge any companies in the area looking for a project like this to get involved in to check it out.”
To find out more about Co-forest, including how to pledge as an individual or on behalf of a business, visit https://coforest.co.uk/
